Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40328881›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Optimized enrichment of murine blood-brain barrier vessels with a critical focus on network hierarchy in post-collection analysis.

Hanaa Abdelazim, Audra Barnes, James Stupin, Ranah Hasson, Carmen Muñoz-Ballester, Kenneth L Young, Stefanie Robel, James W Smyth, Samy Lamouille, John C Chappell

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Hanaa AbdelazimFralin Biomedical Research Institute (FBRI) at Virginia Tech-Carilion (VTC), 2 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, VA, 24016, USA.
Audra BarnesFralin Biomedical Research Institute (FBRI) at Virginia Tech-Carilion (VTC), 2 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, VA, 24016, USA.
James StupinFralin Biomedical Research Institute (FBRI) at Virginia Tech-Carilion (VTC), 2 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, VA, 24016, USA.
Ranah HassonFralin Biomedical Research Institute (FBRI) at Virginia Tech-Carilion (VTC), 2 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, VA, 24016, USA.
Carmen Muñoz-BallesterDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA.
Kenneth L YoungFralin Biomedical Research Institute (FBRI) at Virginia Tech-Carilion (VTC), 2 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, VA, 24016, USA.
Stefanie RobelDepartment of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA.
James W SmythFralin Biomedical Research Institute (FBRI) at Virginia Tech-Carilion (VTC), 2 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, VA, 24016, USA.
Samy LamouilleFralin Biomedical Research Institute (FBRI) at Virginia Tech-Carilion (VTC), 2 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, VA, 24016, USA.
John C ChappellFralin Biomedical Research Institute (FBRI) at Virginia Tech-Carilion (VTC), 2 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, VA, 24016, USA. JChappell@vtc.vt.edu.

Funding

Viral subversion of intercellular coupling during myocarditisR01HL159512 · NHLBI · VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV · PI James William Smyth · 2022 to 2026
$2.7M
Evaluating astrocyte loss after traumatic brain injury in initiation of post-traumatic epilepsyR01NS105807 · NINDS · VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV · PI ROBEL, STEFANIE · 2018 to 2022
$1.9M
Vascular Basement Membrane Composition Regulates Pericyte Investment in Developing Blood VesselsR01HL146596 · NHLBI · VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV · PI CHAPPELL, JOHN CHRISTOPHER · 2019 to 2022
$1.6M
A Tissue-Specific Soluble Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptor-beta Isoform Retains Functional CapacityR21HL165296 · NHLBI · VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV · PI CHAPPELL, JOHN CHRISTOPHER · 2023 to 2024
$440k
The Effect of Blood Flow Changes in Brain Microvasculature on Pericyte-Endothelial Cell InteractionF31HL168946 · NHLBI · VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV · PI ABDELAZIM, HANAA · 2023 to 2025
$95k
American Heart Association 19TPA34910121American Heart Association 23PRE1025483NHLBI NIH HHS F31 HL168946NHLBI NIH HHS F31HL168946NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL146596NHLBI NIH HHS R01HL146596NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL159512NHLBI NIH HHS R01HL159512NHLBI NIH HHS R21 HL165296NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS105807NINDS NIH HHS R01NS105807
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cerebrovascular networks contain a unique region of interconnected capillaries known as the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Positioned between upstream arteries and downstream veins, these microvessels have unique structural features, such as the absence of vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs) and a relatively thin basement membrane, to facilitate highly efficient yet selective exchange between the circulation and the brain interstitium. This vital role in neurological health and function has garnered significant attention from the scientific community and inspired methodology for enriching BBB capillaries. Extensive characterization of the isolates from such protocols is essential for framing the results of follow-on experiments and analyses, providing the most accurate interpretation and assignment of BBB properties. Seeking to aid in these efforts, here we visually screened output samples using fluorescent labels and found considerable reduction of non-vascular cells following density gradient centrifugation (DGC) and subsequent filtration. Comparatively, this protocol enriched brain capillaries, though larger diameter vessels associated with vSMCs could not be fully excluded. Protein analysis further underscored the enrichment of vascular markers following DGC, with filtration preserving BBB-associated markers and reducing - though not fully removing - arterial/venous contributions. Transcriptional profiling followed similar trends of DGC plus filtration generating isolates with less non-vascular and non-capillary material included. Considering vascular network hierarchy inspired a more comprehensive assessment of the material yielded from brain microvasculature isolation protocols. This approach is important for providing an accurate representation of the cerebrovascular segments being used for data collection and assigning BBB properties specifically to capillaries relative to other regions of the brain vasculature.

Indexed as

Blood-Brain BarrierAnimalsBrainCapillariesMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMuscle, Smooth, VascularBlood–brain barrierBrainCapillaryEndothelial cellMicrovascular isolationPericyteSmooth muscle cell

Identifiers

PMID40328881
PMCPMC12056178

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.